These words hit like a bolt from the blue, shaking everyone out of their lingering grief over the clan's near extinction.
The group looked at each other, shocked.
Although they had suspected that the mentally unstable comrade would give such an answer, hearing it out loud still felt surreal.
Could it be that... Captain Kuroki had long harbored feelings for the clan leader's wife?
It did make some sense.
Otherwise, why would Captain Kuroki save Lady Mikoto?
Uchiha Izumi's brows furrowed as she quietly lowered her head, hiding her face in her knees and feeding the fire with more branches.
She didn't dare look at Kuroki, who sat beside her.
In an unnoticed corner,
Mikoto's cold, elegant face showed a hint of anger. She could tolerate being ostracized by the clan since her family had indeed wronged the Uchiha.
But she couldn't endure anyone insulting her dignity and honor as the clan leader's wife.
Crackling—the fire blazed.
Kuroki frowned slightly, feeling that things were developing in an odd direction.
Uchiha Naruki spoke awkwardly, "How did the clan leader's wife suddenly become... no, how did she become your sister-in-law?"
This question echoed the thoughts of everyone present.
The group looked up at Tamao, curious to hear what the mentally unstable companion would say.
Tamao rambled on:
"Can't you all think for yourselves? Why always bully me and make a madman think?
Think about it.
Uchiha Mikoto is the clan leader's wife.
Fugaku is probably dead.
There are only a few of us Uchiha left.
If the new clan leader isn't my big brother Kuroki, then who among you cowards would it be?
Therefore,
Big brother is the clan leader, and Uchiha Mikoto, as the clan leader's wife, naturally becomes the sister-in-law!"
The group frowned, speechless at their mad companion's twisted logic.
In Tamao's mind,
Was the position of the clan leader's wife just a title?
Uchiha Naruki adjusted his glasses and retorted, "I'm not a coward!"
Everyone glanced at the usually meek Naruki, thinking to themselves that his focus was a bit off.
Now they understood why Naruki and Tamao always clashed.
Tamao snorted impatiently, "Who cares if you're a coward? What are you waiting for? Feed the sister-in-law some rabbit meat!"
The group looked at each other in dismay.
Even though the suggestion made sense,
Knowing that Kuroki had thoughts about the "widow" made the other Uchiha hesitant to approach the former clan leader's wife, who was now their sister-in-law.
These Uchiha had plenty of gripes, but there was no place to vent them. The clan had been wiped out once already.
The leader had changed before, so why was Uchiha Mikoto still the clan leader's wife?
Mikoto's long-held composure shattered as she listened to Tamao's serious nonsense.
Her slender neck extended, her pale cheeks flushed, and her dark eyes sparkled with indignation as she glared directly at Kuroki.
She seemed to be saying, "Control your subordinate!"
As the others contemplated in silence,
Kuroki suddenly stood up, tore off a rabbit leg, and walked over to Mikoto.
He didn't care what others thought.
But until Itachi was dealt with,
Mikoto couldn't die.
Seeing Kuroki's actions, the group suddenly felt that Tamao, insane as he was, had somehow predicted this outcome!
As Kuroki approached, Mikoto stretched her snow-white neck, glaring at him like an embarrassed yet guarded swan.
After a moment's silence,
Uchiha Mikoto looked at the roasted rabbit leg brought to her mouth, and chose to resist this humiliation in her own way. She proudly declared, "I don't eat rabbit meat... umm..."
Before she could finish, Kuroki used the Eight Thousand Spears technique to force the tender, juicy rabbit leg into her mouth.
"Mmm... mmm... mmm!"
Mikoto's eyes widened in rage, biting down on the rabbit leg as she breathed heavily in protest, staring in disbelief at the handsome young man before her.
How dare this junior clan member treat her so rudely!!
Mikoto's rage boiled over, and the dignified elegance of the clan leader's wife collapsed in an instant.
"Eat!"
Kuroki's face remained expressionless, his eyes deep and unyielding as he locked gazes with Mikoto.
Their eyes met.
Mikoto, seated with her legs folded beside her, looked up at Kuroki's towering figure, her imposing aura faltering.
The other Uchiha were dumbfounded!
They knew Kuroki had become ruthless, but they hadn't expected him to be this harsh.
It was nothing short of trampling on the clan leader's wife's dignity.
A role model indeed!
Under the watchful eyes of the Uchiha, Kuroki didn't linger by Mikoto's side. He walked over to the reclining Tamao and used a kunai to cut a piece of roasted rabbit, pushing it into Tamao's mouth.
Tamao realized he had said too much, and immediately broke into a foolish grin, his baby face looking innocent.
"Eat the meat!"
Kuroki said calmly before returning to Izumi's side.
He had saved one rabbit leg for himself and handed the rest of the roasted rabbit to Izumi, signaling her to distribute it.
In the group, Izumi was the youngest, and she had helped the team many times, changing Tamao's bandages and performing well.
Besides the earnest Naruki, Kuroki trusted Uchiha Izumi the most.
"Ca... Captain Kuroki."
Izumi held the roasted rabbit, feeling a warmth in her heart. She nodded eagerly, wanting to share the meat with the others.
Kuroki reminded her, "You're still growing. Eat a bit more yourself. The others are adults—they won't starve."
The Uchiha all held their tongues, not daring to speak.
"Al... Alright."
Izumi dismissed the idea of sharing her food and decided to enjoy it alone, the food that Kuroki had given her.
As she ate the rabbit meat, her thoughts wandered.
In any case, she didn't believe a word Tamo'o had said—not even a punctuation mark.
Sure, Itachi's mother was beautiful and well-maintained, but she was still seven or eight years older than Captain Kuroki. Hmm, they were not a good match.
In her heart, izumi never think Kuroki and Mikoto's in future life being together .
The rest of the Uchiha clan members had mixed feelings.
Who would have thought, Captain Kuroki? You appear so gentle and refined, with an aura as cold and distant as a breeze through a snowy forest, but behind the scenes, you're like this?
Is it appropriate to be interested in a widow?
However...
A few Uchiha quickly came to terms with it. Since they were the remaining few Uchihas, it was naturally their responsibility to carry the burden of restoring the Uchiha clan's glory.
Lady Mikoto, with her curvaceous figure, clearly looks like a woman who can bear many children. Captain Kuroki is simply making the most of things, aiming to have several genius offspring for the Uchiha clan.
As long as they don't turn out like Itachi, this could be seen as contributing to the great cause of rebuilding the Uchiha!
With that thought, many Uchiha members no longer felt as much resistance toward Mikoto. Some even cast her a few more meaningful and respectful glances, seeing her as their new sister-in-law.
Meanwhile, Mikoto was devouring the roasted rabbit leg ravenously.
She was being controlled by the Yachiman Spears.
Whether to eat or not was not her choice to make.
"Mmm... mmm... mmph!"
Mikoto swallowed the chewy rabbit meat, continuing to protest with muffled sounds.
She could sense the shift in her clan's attitude toward her, but honestly, she'd rather they kept rejecting her instead of misunderstanding.
A deep sense of shame washed over her.
Tears welled up in her eyes from the frustration, but she never stopped biting, chewing, or swallowing the rabbit leg.
...
On Kikyo Mountain, the peaks were scattered randomly, and the pitch-black night sky was slowly descending, enveloping the entire mountain range.
The terrain in the center of the mountains was lower.
Kikyo City was located there, protected by an old city wall. Under the night sky, the lights of thousands of households illuminated the place, and the main street was rather bustling.
On the upstream of the river leaving the city.
Five people and a dog stepped across the water.
"This is the only water route out of the city. We'll wait here for reinforcements and set traps to catch Uchiha Kuroki and his group!"
Asuma said sternly to Kurenai and the others beside him.
No one objected.
When rogue ninja are fleeing, knowing they are being chased, they'll always choose water routes that leave no trace.
Asuma and his group had tracked the Uchiha's escape team using their keen-scented ninja dog earlier that morning.
(End of chapter)